Papers by Jenny Caplan
A Companion to American Religious History, 2021
Teaching Jewish American Literature, 2020
Laughter After, 2020
An analysis of the cultural attitudes around Jewish masculinity in post-WWII America
Journal of Jewish Identities, 2021
The Journal of Modern Jewish Studies, 2020
This article uses Crazy Ex-Girlfriend to argue in favor of abandoning the “JAP" as the primary ar... more This article uses Crazy Ex-Girlfriend to argue in favor of abandoning the “JAP" as the primary archetype for Jewish women. By looking at both Rebecca and her mother Naomi the article pushes us to rethink our continuing to call Rebecca a modern or contemporary JAP, and instead to see her as something new, which this essay labels the MAAW, the Modern Ashkenazi-American Woman. Rather than continuing to rethink the JAP for every new generation, perhaps it is time to retire the archetype and admit that it made sense in a mid-20th century context, but does not any longer. By analyzing not only the way Rebecca presents herself in the “JAP Battle” rap, but also the way Naomi is an extremely good example of the classical JAP character, this essay suggests allowing the JAPs to continue to age and fade away, after which we can dispose of the type and move on to something more dynamic and less fraught.
This essay uses an exploration of the history of the nebbish, one of Yiddish literature’s most en... more This essay uses an exploration of the history of the nebbish, one of Yiddish literature’s most enduring comic stock characters, to discuss how and why this stereotype has evolved, and even been reclaimed, in contemporary popular culture. The nebbish is an interesting case study because it began as a negative, often anti-Semitic stereotype and evolved into an Everyman character with whom the audience can, and even wants to, identify. Furthermore, the contemporary nebbish is complicated by two shifts in the depiction of the character. First, nebbishness has moved from being an explicitly Jewish characteristic to a general attribute that anyone can possess. Second, all the Yiddish stock types started out as male characters, but most of them have been able to encompass women in their contemporary manifestations. The nebbish, however, has remained almost exclusively male. Women who are treated in a nebbish-like way become tragic figures, not comic relief. This essay briefly investigates some examples of potential female nebbishes to interrogate why society has been able to reimagine the nebbish as non-Jewish much more easily than as non-male. The essay concludes by arguing that only by truly embracing the idea of the nebbish as more than a hapless loser can popular culture effectively craft female nebbishes, and only by effectively crafting female nebbishes can the nebbish really be an Everyperson character.
Jennifer Caplan discusses teaching the Introduction to Jewish Studies course at three very differ... more Jennifer Caplan discusses teaching the Introduction to Jewish Studies course at three very different institutions and considers how she changed the course for different kinds of students, from "heritage" students to those from under-recruited populations. She examines the problem of the classroom as a confessional space where non-heritage learners might lose interest and shut down, and analyzes which aspects of Jewish culture and tradition and which readings are most appropriate for each class's mix. Caplan answers fundamental questions such as Who are we as teachers? How do we teach? and What is the learning environment like? The article includes two sample syllabi.
Book Reviews by Jenny Caplan
Studies in Religion / Sciences Religieuses, 2021
Sociology of Religion, 2021
Studies in American Jewish Literature, 2019
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, a... more JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected].
Journal of Jewish Identities, 2019
Review of Hannah Schwadron's The Case of the Sexy Jewess from the Journal of Jewish Identities
A review of Sarah Imhoff's Masculinity and the Making of American Judaism for H-Judaic.
A Review of Tahneer Oksman's *How Come Boys Get to Keep Their Noses* in *AJS Review*
A review of Marisa Scheinfeld's *The Borscht Belt* for Reading Religion
A review of David Feltmate's *Drawn to the Gods* for Reading Religion
A review of Elliott Oring's *Joking Asides* in *The Journal of Popular Culture*
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Papers by Jenny Caplan
Book Reviews by Jenny Caplan